NCJ Number
196761
Journal
Criminal Justice Volume: 2 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2002 Pages: 243-256
Editor(s)
George Mair,
Tim Newburn
Date Published
August 2002
Length
14 pages
Annotation
In this article the argument is made for restricting the term "occupational crime" to illegal and unethical activities committed for individual financial gain, or to avoid financial loss, in the context of a legitimate occupation; that the term "occupational deviance" is better reserved for deviation from occupational norms, such as drinking on the job and sexual harassment; and the term "workplace crime" is better reserved for conventional forms of crime committed in the workplace, such as rape and/or assault.
Abstract
In the interest of greater conceptual clarity within the field of white collar crime, an area of criminological investigation that has been filled with conceptual confusion, this article discusses the history of the interchangeable uses of three terms defining occupational crime and offers a rationale for redefining or clarifying their differences in order to aid theoretical, empirical, and policy-related progress in the field of white collar crime studies. Influential theorists in the history of white collar crime and occupational crime concepts have been Edwin Sutherland, Marshall Clinard and Richard Quinney, Gary Green, and Nathan W. Pino, whose prominent theories are described here. For purposes of this discussion, it is recommended that occupational crime be defined as illegal and unethical activities committed for individual financial gain, or to avoid financial loss, in the context of a legitimate occupation; that occupational deviance be reserved for deviation from occupational norms, such as drinking on the job and sexual harassment; and workplace crime be identified as conventional forms of crime committed in the workplace, such as rape and/or assault. A table is included comparing forms of white collar and conventional crime. In conclusion, it is emphasized that conceptual distinctions such as those recommended in this article, should be useful in theorizing about crime, in engaging in empirical study of crime, and in formulating policies in response to it. References